Whatever Brings You Home
by Jameson Rook
Summary: He couldn't seem to shake the vision of deep blue eyes and fiery red hair from his mind. He picked his pace up again, ignoring the searing pain in his knee. He needed to keep running, as soon as he stopped, she would take over his brain again.


_**Disclaimer: Castle and all of its characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, Terri Edda Miller, ABC Studio Productions. **_

__Run. Keep running. That was the only thought that he allowed to go through his head. He ran until his muscles felt as though they were going to burn away from his bones, and his heart pumped acid through his veins.

The frigid rain that pelted his face dripped from the strands of hair that fell over his forehead. Underneath the slick of cold water on his t-shirt was a sheen of sweat coating his grimy skin. He lost track of how long he'd been running. All he remembered was that he had started before the sun had sunk below the horizon and the rain had started. He was running through the darkness of Central Park, his path only lit by the equally spaced out and flickering street lamps.

It had started that evening at the precinct. When _she_ had shown up. She had come out of no where and completely knocked his world on its ear. The last time he'd seen her had been the week before her graduation. It was easier to overlook her obvious beauty then. She was in high school, she was Castle's daughter, they had a hundred different things going on at the precinct.

However, when she'd shown up that evening to surprise Castle and Beckett and take them to dinner, she'd been dressed in a light blue, flowy summer dress. His heart had nearly stopped in his chest. Her radiant smile as she'd curled her arms around his waist in a tight hug. Her hair had smelled of jasmine and something else...something strangely erotic to him.

It had been quite some time since Jenny had walked out on him, demanding a divorce and telling him that she wouldn't stand around while he put her on the back burner for his career. It wasn't like it was something that she hadn't known about before they got married, right? He was a homicide detective. His job was 9 days a week, 28 hours a day. There was no "off time". That was why he'd been more than willing to help her move her stuff out of his apartment.

His sneakers slipped on a particularly wet patch of pavement, and his legs slid out from underneath him. The rough pavement scun his knee and elbow viciously, blood pouring from the open wounds. He grumbled and examined them before hobbling to his feet and starting the long trek back to his apartment.

He couldn't seem to shake the vision of deep blue eyes and fiery red hair from his mind. He picked his pace up again, ignoring the searing pain in his knee. He needed to keep running, as soon as he stopped, she would take over his brain again.

Before he even realized what had happened, he was limping up the stairs to his apartment. When he reached his door, he sighed loudly and dropped his forehead onto it just below the numbers.

The feeling of her arms around his waist, and her face nuzzled against the side of his neck came flooding back to him. He remembered the way her lips had moved against the soft skin just below his ear as she greeted him. Intentionally or not, she'd had him hightailing it to the precinct locker room and jumping into the coldest shower he'd had since high school.

That was why his heart jumped into his throat and his running shorts became much too tight when he walked into his living room to find her stretched out on his roadkill couch. He dropped his keys onto the table beside the door and moved towards the couch, trying to use the back of the couch to hide his arousal.

"Alexis, what are you doing here?" He whispered, running his hands through his wet hair. His eyes roamed over the black and deep purple lace of the...whatever she called the scrap of cloth that was supposed to be an excuse for substantial clothing. The lingerie was like nothing that he had ever seen before.

"I wasn't sure that you got my drift today when I came to the precinct, so I figured that I make a house call to make sure you hear me loud and clear." She stood, sauntering towards him and giving a small spin to afford him a better appraisal of her outfit. Kevin's mouth went dry and his heart continued to pound in his chest.

His hand twitched as he ached to reach out and touch the soft flesh underneath it. Her smile was predatory and her eyes burned with desire.

"Alexis, this is...wrong." He choked out, acutely aware that she had invaded his personal space and her lace clad chest was brushing against his soaked tshirt.

"Why?"

"Because...I work with your dad, and you're..."

"A grown woman that it capable of making my own decisions. My father doesn't choose who I can and cannot date, Kevin. I do. And I have had a crush on you since the day that I set eyes on you. Do you know how hard it was when Dad told me that you were marrying Jenny? So, when they told me that you two were getting a divorce, I have to admit that I was shocked, but incredibly excited." Kevin sucked in a breath when she braced her hands on his chest and brushed her nose over his gently, sending flutters through his stomach. "I've been planning this trip home since I got the news. I figured that I'd at least give you time to go through the grieving process."

"I-I don't understand. Why didn't you ever say anything before?" He finally allowed himself to settle his hands onto her hips, her skin soft under his splayed fingers.

"Would it have ever made a difference? I was in high school, Kevin. You were too much of a gentlemen." She sighed, leaning in and letting her lips hover over his, not quite touching, but allowing her warm breath to wash over his lips.

"You're probably right. You were too young, and you were Castle's daughter. You're _still_ Castle's daughter." He whispered, his fingers curling tighter around her hips and bringing her flush against him. She shivered and giggled quietly. "What's wrong?"

"You're wet and cold." She whispered, leaning closer and nipping his bottom lip. A groan escaped Kevin's throat as her teeth scraped over the skin. His hands moved to her upper arms and pulled her into a passionate kiss.

Her surprised gasp allowed his tongue to slip past her lips and flick over the senstive roof of her mouth. Her arms wound around his neck and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss until they had to pull away from each other for air.

Kevin dropped his forehead to hers, a small grin spread across his face as her hands moved to tear his shirt over his head and her fingers spread over the rain-chilled muscles. He hooked his arms under her body and carried her towards his bedroom, laying her out on the deep blue bedspread. He followed her down, his body laying flush against hers, smirking down at her and planting another kiss to her soft lips.

"Welcome home, Miss Castle."

_**I'm not sure how I feel about this. I think I want to write it as a two or three shot, but I'm not sure. **_

_** Much love,**_

_** J. Rook**_


End file.
